Positional Power: The Differences Between Power And Authority

733 Words2 Pages

Many people do not differentiate between power and authority. Power refers to a situation whereby people can make decisions or do things in their own way, even against the will of others who were taking part in the same action as they are. Power can either be legitimate or illegitimate. Legitimate power is what we refer to as authority. Illegitimate power is seen as coercion. Authority is respected by all people and is recognized as the best rule.

According to Matthew 28:18, “All authority has been given to me in heaven and on earth" (New Living Translation). For everyone, that possess the power or authority it has been given to them by higher authority. This power is to be used in settling the affairs of the organization, appointment of officers and for the betterment of the organization. …show more content…

Power and authority work together where power could be expressed or exercised in two ways which are positional power and personal power. Positional power is bestowed by the organization in terms of level or title, president, director, manager or supervisor. The titles command authority within the organization. According to Conger and Kanungo, “ Personal power is given by others and comes from within a person that is how he or she tries to influence or persuade other people to accomplish tasks through our interaction with them” (Conger, J, & Kanungo, R. 1988). Empowerment is giving power to. While Authority is given to members by their leaders, which empower workers to make right decisions for the success of the organization and it also contributes to increased productivity and commitment to organizational

Show More
Related

  • Power

    713 Words  | 2 Pages

    Power. It is defined as the capacity or ability to direct or influence the behavior of others or the course of events. Throughout time, certain individuals have acquired power in their society as a way to govern and keep order among their community. Power is not a new concept; it was used in the past by many emperors, kings, and queens, and is still being used by presidents, prime ministers, and dictators. Although, it has been used to further progress societies into what the world is like today, not all power has been used for the best of mankind. But what goes awry to make power turn corrupt? In William Shakespeare's Hamlet, it is illustrated how power can turn corrupt, when authoritative figures, who possess power, abuse it for their personal gain, rather than for the common good of the society.

    Read More

  • Summary Of The Stanley Milgram's Obedience

    1310 Words  | 3 Pages

    Another form of authority which people respect is legitimate authority. Legitimate authority is a type of power that is recognized as rightful by those over whom it is exercised (Chambliss and Eglitis pg. 111). For example, in the Milgram study the authoritative prop was heading a scientific experiment and wore a white lab coat which insinuated he was a scientist of some sort. This would make the teacher assume that he possessed credentials. The teacher, therefore, put his trust in that this leader knew what he was doing and saw his power as legitimate

    Read More

  • Women as Authroity Figures in Things Fall Apart by Chinua Achebe and Richard III by William Shakespeare

    693 Words  | 2 Pages

    To hold authority is to possess power, and when one has power over a person or people he or she is generally feared. In t...

    Read More

  • Free Essays - Power and Authority in Animal Farm

    629 Words  | 2 Pages

    Power is authority and strength, which is any form of motive force or energy, ability to act, or control.  When too much power is given, a dictatorship government can form, in which all decisions are made by one authority.  In the book Animal Farm, by George Orwell the author portrays how “Power tends to corrupt and absolute power corrupts absolutely” (Lord Acton).

    Read More

  • Expert Power Theory

    1036 Words  | 3 Pages

    In no particular order, the first power type is called Expert power. Simply put, Expert power is a power based on the information that a leader knows, due to interacting with others who belong to familiar organizations. This type of power usually comes as the result of learning and growing within a particular role in an organization. Next, there is what is known as Referent power, which is the result of identifying with an individual or group. With Referent power, it is the outcome of the actions exhibited by a leader, that influences others to refer to him or her as an example. After Referent power is Legitimate power. Legitimate power comes from the titles, roles, or positions that people occupy (Shockley-Zalabak, 2015). For example, managers or supervisors will have Legitimate power over their subordinates due to the difference in their titles and authority levels. Following Legitimate power, there is Reward power. Reward power is when a leader or manager offers a source of tangible and intangible resources (Shockley-Zalabak, 2015). An example of Reward power is money, since it can be distributed based on one’s performance and can be a means of

    Read More

  • Five Bases of Power: Coercive, Reward, Legitimate, Expert, and Referent

    1004 Words  | 3 Pages

    Power is everywhere; in organizations, relationships, businesses, government, education, et cetera. Power is defined as a capacity that X has to persuade the behavior of Y so that Y acts according to X's wishes (Robbins & Judge, 2007). Power is essential because without it, organization and leadership effectiveness is eliminated within the confounds of the given relationship. A dependency is Y's relationship to X when X possesses something that Y requires (Robbins & Judge, 2007). In essence, there are five bases of power: Coercive power, Reward power, Legitimate power, Expert power, and Referent power (Robbins & Judge, 2007). The scenario exemplifies each power and how each is used. The scenario also illustrates the dependency relationship of each power for the parties involved.

    Read More

  • Importance Of Power In Nursing

    812 Words  | 2 Pages

    Usually, the belief is that the managers, administrators, presidents or even the supervisors, have the greatest source of power, because they are at the top of the ladder in the hierarchy of the organization. The reality is that they need

    Read More

  • The Structure of Power in American Society by C. Wright Mills

    812 Words  | 2 Pages

    C. Wright Mills in his article “ The Structure of Power in American Society” writes that when considering the types of power that exist in modern society there are three main types which are authority, manipulation and coercion. Coercion can be seen as the “last resort” of enforcing power. On the other hand, authority is power that is derived from voluntary action and manipulation is power that is derived unbeknownst to the people who are under that power.

    Read More

  • The Power of Kurtz in Joseph Conrad's Heart of Darkness

    656 Words  | 2 Pages

    Power has been defined as the psychological relations over another to get them to do what you want them to do.  We are exposed to forms of power from the time of birth.  Our parents exercise power over us to behave in a way they deem appropriate. In school, teachers use their power to help us learn.  When we enter the work world the power of our boss motivates us to perform and desire to move up the corporate ladder so that we too can intimidate someone with power one day.  In Joseph Conrad’s Heart of Darkness Kurtz had a power over the jungle and its people that was inexplicable.

    Read More

  • Characteristics Of A Leader Is An Effective Leader

    1993 Words  | 4 Pages

    Unfortunately, being inspiring to employees is not enough. These situations occur when employees face challenges in accomplishing goals. In such situations, a leader needs to exercise power and influence to push forth the desired goals. While the course identified five sources of power, I believe only three should be considered for an effective leader. The first is legitimate power (6), which is often considered the first source of power in the organizations I have worked in. The source of power comes...

    Read More

  • Model of Power within Organizations

    860 Words  | 2 Pages

    McShane and von Glinow determine that the first three powers - legitimate, reward, and coercive power - are granted to persons through the organization or co-workers, whereas the two other powers – expert and referent power - depend on the “power holders own characteristics” (301). The first source of power that can be assigned to members of the organization is Legitimate Power, which is defined as an “agreement among organizational members that people in certain roles can request certain behavior of others” (302). This source of power generally results from different roles in the organization (hierarchy). Like the manager can expect his or her employees to do what he or she requires. Another source of power that can be given to employees is Reward Power, which is defined as “the person’s ability to control the allocation of rewards valued by others and to remove negative sections” (302). Reward power offers incentives and is the opposite of the third source of power, which is Coercive Power. Coercive power is the last source of power that is assigned to people and involves “the ability to apply punishment” (303). The fourth source of power is Expert Power, which does not originate from the position but rather from within the person. Expert power is “the capacity to influence others by possessing knowledge or skills that others value” (303). For instance, an employee can develop expert power when gaining important knowledge for the organizations that others would also like to have. The fifth source of power that does not depend on the role or position of an employee, but on the person’s own characteristics is Referent Power, which is defined as “the capacity to influence others on the basis of an identification with and respect for the power holder” (303).

    Read More

  • Employee Empowerment

    1549 Words  | 4 Pages

    Employee empowerment can be a powerful tool. The leadership style can increase efficiency and effectiveness inside an organization. Empowerment can also increase productivity and allow managers more tim...

    Read More

  • Organizational Power

    560 Words  | 2 Pages

    Power is the ability to influence the behavior of others. The most important aspect of power is dependence; a person’s power increases if someone is dependent on them, or if they have something the other needs. Some people have power that they don’t use or may not even know they have.

    Read More

  • Understanding Authority

    864 Words  | 2 Pages

    In order to understand this paper we are first going to need to take a look at the word authority. Authority means “the power to determine, adjudicate, or otherwise settle issues or disputes; jurisdiction; the right to control, command, or determine.” ("authority.") This authority can come from a teacher, pastor, principle or anyone else that has the ability to control or command someone or something. The Biblical definition, states that authority is “the legal and/or moral right to exercise power, or power that is rightly possessed. In the Bible God is presented as the ultimate, personal authority and the sources of all authority” (“Douglas, J. D., and Merrill C. Tenney.” p.61). In many of the stories such as Metamorphosis, Ivan Ilyich and The Guest there was a clear definition that even though there was authority; the understanding of such authority was not concrete in any fashion.

    Read More

  • Importance Of Power In Business

    1853 Words  | 4 Pages

    Power is the capacity or the ability for one to influence the behaviors of others in any given organization. In a business setting, those in control of the organization will always give instructions and directives to those in lower ranks when running of the business. Power is always accompanied with authority, control or even commands. Leadership is the process where by a person influences others to achieve certain objective and goals of a business and then guides the firm in a way that makes it more unified and comprehensible. Leaders directly affect the performance of any firm and good leaders are born and not made. There are leadership styles and leadership theories which are very vital in leadership of the organizations for they affect its success. For the success of business to be achieved there needs to be a group of experts and consultants in leadership for they will effectively and efficiently run the business as expected.

    Read More

More about Positional Power: The Differences Between Power And Authority

Open Document